Job shadowing is the experience of following a professional through
his or her day. It may include observing client meetings, participating
in projects, touring facilities, and conducting informational interviews.
A job shadow varies in length from a few hours to an entire work week.
It differs from an internship in that it is short-term, offers no payment,
and helps you gain an insider’s view into a particular field.
Ramaker Center
Northwestern College
712.707.7225
Job Shadowing Guide
The Value of Job Shadowing
• Job shadowing is an ideal way to learn firsthand about
the day-to-day work of a professional in a career field
of interest to you.
• A job shadow offers you the chance to “try out” a field
or observe a company’s culture without long-term
commitment.
• What you observe during a job shadow can clarify your
career interests or goals, even if you learn that your
dream job is not exactly what you thought!
• Job shadowing may help you connect your coursework
to career opportunities and future plans.
• Job shadows also provide opportunities for you to build
professional relationships with people in your desired
career field. By having in-depth conversations with a
professional and meeting his or her colleagues, you are
expanding your professional network significantly. You
may even find a professional mentor.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Before Pursuing a Job
Shadow
What are my educational goals for a job shadow?
In other words, what do I hope to learn?
What specific aspects of the industry, company or
position do I want to learn about (i.e. day-to-day
activities, typical schedule, workplace culture,
work-life balance, advancement opportunities,
required skills, etc.)?
What jobs should I consider shadowing? If
you have not already, take the CareerExplorer
inventory for possible career matches. Which job
would be the best to observe at this point?
What companies have the type of job I would like
to shadow?
!
If you make a good impression during your job shadow,
you may open the door for future internship or job
opportunities within that company or field. You may
also gain valuable information about how best to apply
to a particular company.
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How to Discover a Job Shadowing Opportunity
Ramaker Center
Northwestern College
712.707.7225
IDENTIFYING SOMEONE TO SHADOW
• Make an appointment via Handshake to meet with
a staff member in the Compass Center. He or she
can ask you questions about your professional interests,
suggest members of the Northwestern Network or
Northwestern College alumni with whom you could
connect, and help you take tangible steps to inquire into
job shadowing opportunities.
• Consult your personal network. Reach out to faculty
mentors, former internship or job supervisors, previous
coworkers, members of organizations to which you
belong, friends, or family members who may have
connections in your desired field. Even if they cannot
offer a job shadow experience, they may be willing to
introduce you to someone who could host you.
• Tap into professional-focused social media sites like
LinkedIn and Handshake. LinkedIn and Handshake
are great for finding and connecting with people in your
desired field. If you have a strong profile, confidently
approach a contact by sending a personalized message.
Check out the Compass Center LinkedIn Profile Guide
and the Compass Center Handshake Profile Guide for
more tips on utilizing these networking tools.
• Contact a specific company about job shadowing.
If you do not know someone at a company where you
would like to shadow, you can still reach out directly
to the company. Email or call someone in the human
resources department, or reach out to someone in the
department where you would like to shadow. (See a
sample email below that you can send to a cold contact,
which is someone you have never met before.)
REQUESTING A JOB SHADOW
• If you are reaching out to someone you do not
already know about a job shadow opportunity, start
by establishing rapport. Introduce yourself and
explain your professional interests. You may want to
request an informational interview before jumping
straight to a request for a job shadow. (Check out the
Compass Center Informational Interview Guide for
more information.) If the informational interview goes
well, you could follow up by requesting to shadow that
person for a few hours on the job.
• If working with someone in the Compass Center to reach
out to a Northwestern College alumni or member of the
Northwestern Network, follow their advice in draing a
request for a job shadow. Introduce yourself, explain
your professional interests, and communicate what you
hope to gain from a job shadow experience.
• Make your job shadow request several weeks in
advance of when you hope to shadow so the person
you are asking has time to add you to his or her schedule.
Ramaker Center
Northwestern College
712.707.7225
Follow-up and Job Shadow Request
Nora Northwestern <[email protected]>
To: Susan Johnson
Dear Ms. Johnson,
Thank you again for sharing information with me about your professional journey. I loved learning about your
current role and the unexpected doors that opened at key moments in your life. After hearing your story, I am
even more interested in a career in non-prot management and would love to learn more about your work at the
Lake County Chamber of Commerce. I could gain helpful insight into what a typical day of work at a chamber of
commerce looks like. Would you be open to letting me shadow you for a few hours in the next month?
If you are open to having me shadow you, what type of schedule would be most convenient? I am grateful for
the investment you have already made in my professional growth, and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Best,
Nora Northwestern
Job Shadow Inquiry
Nora Northwestern <[email protected]>
To: Susan Johnson
Dear Ms. Johnson,
I found your contact information on the Lake County Chamber of Commerce website. I am a sophomore at
Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. I am pursuing a business degree, and I have a strong interest in non-
prot management. After considering a variety of careers within non-prot management, I am most interested in
the work that chambers of commerce do to promote the businesses within their communities. My grandparents
have a summer home in Lake County, and I would love to job shadow you or someone in your ofce for a few
hours this coming summer to learn rsthand about your day-to-day work. If you are open to this possibility, please
feel free to suggest a day or week that could work best for you.
Thank you for reading this email and considering my request. I will follow up with a telephone call if I have not
heard back from you by May 1.
With appreciation,
Nora Northwestern
Sample Job Shadow Request Email (Known Contact)
Sample Job Shadow Request Email (Cold Contact)
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Preparing for Your Job Shadow Experience
Ramaker Center
Northwestern College
712.707.7225
BEFORE STARTING YOUR JOB SHADOW
• Research the person you will be shadowing, as well
as the company or organization. Be familiar with your
job shadow host’s background, and spend time on
the company’s website and LinkedIn page. Search the
organization on Google to see if it has appeared in the
news lately. Any insight you gain into the company or
field will give you helpful context for conversations and
meetings during the job shadow itself.
• Prepare a list of questions you can ask the
professionals with whom you interact during your job
shadow. Check out the list of questions in the Compass
Center Informational Interview Guide.
• Be ready to talk about yourself. The people you meet
will have questions for you, so be prepared to introduce
yourself, talk about your career interests, and explain
why this job shadow is beneficial.
• Confirm the date and time of your job shadow with
your host a few days prior. You may even want to do
a “test run” of your commute to make sure you allow
enough time to get there, park, and walk to the entrance.
• Ask about the company dress code in advance so
you can dress in a way that is both professional and
compatible with the organization’s culture.
ON THE DAY OF YOUR JOB SHADOW
• Dress professionally and in accordance with the dress
code shared by your host.
• Bring a notepad and pen so you can jot down names,
notes and questions.
• Bring copies of your resume. But only offer a copy if
someone requests one.
• Arrive 10-15 minutes early.
• Keep your cell phone muted so that you can give your
undivided attention to what you are learning.
• Be prepared to sign non-disclosure agreement
forms requested by the company, and then keep the
details of what you hear and learn confidential.
• Treat this opportunity as the privilege it is by
giving everyone you meet your full attention, smiling,
introducing yourself, offering firm handshakes, making
eye contact, and asking thoughtful questions. Impress
new contacts with your professionalism and enthusiasm.
• Be mindful of your job shadow hosts’ priorities.
Give them space to do their work while you are there.
• Collect the business cards of any new contacts so
that you can follow up with them aer the job shadow by
sending thank you notes and connecting on LinkedIn.
Aer Your Job Shadow Experience
• Send a handwritten thank you within 24 hours. If a
handwritten note is not possible, a thank you email will
suffice. Send this note to the professional who hosted
your job shadow, but consider sending thank you notes
to all who assisted with your visit or with whom you
would like to stay in touch. Reference a highlight or your
biggest takeaway. Graciously express your appreciation
for the investment this job shadow required.
• Request to connect with new contacts on LinkedIn.
Send them a personalized invitation on LinkedIn, and
connect with them regularly to nurture the relationship.
• Add this job shadow experience to your resume.
Find the most appropriate place to include it, and be
prepared to share a story or two about what you learned
from this job shadow in an interview.
• Reflect on what you learned. Ask yourself these
questions, and consider talking through your answers
with someone in the Compass Center:
1. What day-to-day activities come with this role?
2. What did I learn about this company and field?
3. What was the highlight of the experience?
4. Could I enjoy this type of position? Does it align with
my personality, strengths, interests and values?
5. What surprised or disappointed me the most?
6. Am I still interested in pursuing this line of work?
7. What concerns do I have about this career?
8. What skills or additional education do I need to
pursue in order to succeed in this role or field?
9. Is there another job shadow I should do?
10. What are the next steps for my professional future?
